Covid has not only jolted us out of our comfort zones, our habits, our routines; it has given rise to an unrelenting feeling of uncertain uncertainty.
As we prepare for the festive weekend, many businesses are wondering when we will ever see a return to life as we knew it. Who would have thought that we would witness such huge change over such a short period of time. It has certainly disturbed not only cashflows but the natural order of things. It is clear, that many of us struggle with the fact that things are certainly not as they should be.
Is it time to think afresh?
Rather than yearn for some sort of reboot or re-set, as many commentators have called for, maybe it’s time to think afresh. In this context the wonderful opening lines from the Dickens classic “A Tale of Two Cities,” resonate:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”
Navigating to safer waters
These lines capture the essence of life in pandemic times. We are bounded by a multiplicity of extremes, and we need to find a way to navigate to safer waters. We need to frame what, in essence, is a new way of living, learning and working – one that can cope with life post-pandemic. This is a tall order and is complicated by the absence of precedents and playbooks to guide us. This is especially relevant to the workplace sector where everyone is clamouring for a return to the office.
The need to experiment and exlore
However, necessity being the “Master of all Invention”, I am sure this will bring forward lots of new thinking. This should be encouraged. We should all redouble our efforts to experiment and explore different ways of doing things.
Today along with some friends we started on such a journey. We recognise that these pandemic times call for a lot of fresh thinking. It will be driven by a diverse range of ideas and insights. If developed in a particular way, this ought to inspire us towards new paradigms, new opportunities and new ways of living.
Boldly going beyond the boundaries
By incubating this fresh thinking outside of the traditional silos, we intend to boldly go where few others have ventured before. In parallel we believe it is essential to go beyond traditional thinking and conventions. We aim to gain a completely fresh perspective on life, learning and living. Having stood back and seen the wood for the trees; we can collectively map out the actions required to move to a better future. Our intent in doing such is to help our stakeholders figure things out, make better decisions and be much more purposeful in their own endeavours.
Stepping throught the looking glass to explore new possibilities
In designing this new model which we are calling Omnirama™ I was reminded of a time some years back when we started Six Ideas. Where our mantra was “beyond possible” Today in pandemic times, we now really need to go through the looking glass and explore new concepts, new models and ways of thinking. Ones that make better and smarter use of our precious planet.
Seasons greetings and stay safe.